Artificial needs create artificial Greeds!

national | miscellaneous | press release

Thursday November 18, 2004 21:03

by Rob Chapman - Union of Secondary Students

robchapman at eircom dot net

086 3275100

Department of Eduaction and Science pay salaries of teachers, teaching in fee-paying schools - diverting much needed resources from state-supported schools.

Recently the T.U.I. have called upon the government to stop paying teachers salaries in fee-paying schools. This is a reasonable request. As this means that at the moment fee-paying schools do not have to cover their costs and in turn maximise profit, consequently diverting valuable funding from state supported schools. As a result of this there remains a situation in Ireland where a proper infrastructure for schools in general is far below a respectable level. This only adds to the huge sense of social injustice within the Irish educational system, and further widens the gap between the social “elite” and those who come from/attend less well off schools.

Presently the government must pay teachers working in fee-paying schools. Is this really necessary? We the U.S.S. feel that it certainly is not. It is simply unfair to those who do not attend fee-paying schools, as it gives those who are attending, a huge advantage over the rest of the population. This also creates a situation of ever increasing difficulty for those, who are trying to bridge the gap between themselves and those from fee-paying schools. What is needed is to take away this unfair head start from the minority of the population and take this step in trying to level the playing field, which is impossible when a few enjoy luxury at the cost of everyone else. It is up to you to show support for the T.U.I. and not let the Irish educational system be labelled as unfair indefinitely.

Robert Chapman

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Comments (2 of 2)

You get an F Grade for this.

by toneore

Thu Nov 18, 2004 21:31

toneore at eircom dot net

This is nonsense. What the poster is really saying is that he has a problem with parents who are in a position to make a choice about sending their children to fee-paying schools (actually ALL schools require some kind of payment, none are completely free), so the solution is to punish these schools and the children that go there.

If the Dept stopped paying the teachers in private schools the results would NOT be a more equitable distribution of educational resources, but the opposite. The best teachers would pick and choose where to go and price their services accordingly, including those from non-fee paying schools at present.

The USS would also be the first to complain when private schools, no longer subject to central curriculum development, introduced their own curricula which wasn't socialist or evolutionist enough or when private schools turned to sponsorship from corporations or outsourced their catering to Coke and MadDonalds.

What USS should be campaigning for is a higher standard of teaching all round, not discriminating against a section of the community's children because of their own biased resentments and political agendas. There is enough money to go around all schools. Wouldn't it be more intelligent to ask that the Government put more resources into ALL schools, rather than say, Government jets or translating pages of crap into Irish at taxpayers expense?

Obviously the poster is well-prepared for another 3 or 4 years of hypocritical,ill-though out high-minded pontification - as a third level student activist.

F minus, surely.

by Indymedia Freedom

Thu Nov 18, 2004 21:49

indifreedom at eircom dot net

Who are the USS? Why is their website registered to:

Student Media Group UK Ltd
32 Nassau Street
Dublin, Dublin 2

Who is this Robert guy? He's not listed on the USS Website -http://www.ussonline.net/committee.htm

Any how come the USS is a limited company? Doesn't that smack of private enterprise?

And who are these Board of Directors of USS Ltd. ("which currently includes several high profile public figures")?

And shouldn't you kids spend more time in English class before hanging yourself by public displays of illiteracy like:

* "It is important to ote that observer members ..."
* " ...in an attempt to ensure that Irelands education system remains ..."
* "Barry Hazel beat of stiff competition to ..."
* "Olivia The man in charge of our money..all of it...."
* "...cheery Dublin depositions make him a real catch ladies..."

If the State did not pay the salaries of teachers fee-paying schools, wouldn't the fees increase, making them even more elitist, further hurting kids?

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Artificial needs create artificial Greeds!

Comments (2 of 2)